Mama's Boy
by Sister'sLament
Summary: Eric Cartman has grown up his entire life without a father, and he'd like to believe that he's more comfortable that way. However, his senior year is going to change drastically when a mysterious man starts to come over more consistently to visit his mother. Jealous and angry, Cartman is going to have to need some help to over come this strange and new problem. (Kyman)
1. Chapter 1

Eric Cartman had grown up his entire life without the presence of a father, but to him, that was okay. At first it had bothered him. Back in Elementary school he had always wished that he could have one or could at least get to know one, but as the years progressed he found that he didn't care about it anymore. He had that kind of ability. He was always skilled at convincing himself of anything. He'd learned it since Kindergarten when the boys around treated him differently. Not because of his chubby size, but because he acted a little socially awkward. Instead of feeling down about it, he had convinced himself that he didn't need friends, and it'd worked for a long while.

Sure, he'd grown up with Kyle, Stan and Kenny- but it wasn't that they were 'friends.' To Cartman, they were mere tools of amusement. He didn't really hang out with them back in elementary school unless they were doing something interesting. He knew it didn't really bother them, since they seemed aware of the agreement themselves. They had never really liked him either, but they were fine with him tagging along, even if he was an ass because, in reality, they all knew that they weren't _really_ friends.

Life was boring without people, even if he hated to admit it. He was bored right now, sitting on his couch and lazily flicking through the channels on television, numbly reflecting on the people on screen. He knew that he had homework to do, but he really didn't care much about it. As long as he wasn't failing, his mother didn't care. Even if he had a D in all of his classes, she'd be happy. That was what he loved so much about his mom, she accepted him. Everyone else in South Park labeled or judged him, but his mother was the one person who was always willing to see things eye to eye with Cartman and he knew that he could always count on her if he needed her. As much as everyone laughed about it, Cartman could openly admit it. He loved his mom, and loved the fact that she loved him.

Right now he missed her. She had been working two jobs recently, and was out almost all of the time. She usually didn't come back home until late, and when she did she didn't really have time for him. It irritated him, but Cartman found that he couldn't really be angry with her since it wasn't her fault. They were low on money, and she took it upon herself to work extra hard for their house. Cartman had helped too (in what little ways he could). He'd started cooking for himself. The food was never amazing, but he ate it anyways so his mom wouldn't have to worry about him. He even cleaned the floors and did the dishes. It wasn't much at all, but it was more than Cartman had ever done for the house, so he was glad that his mother was grateful for it. He liked her praising him for it, even though he didn't exactly smile when she thanked him.

Cartman's dark eyes flicked over to look at the clock, grunting in his own disapproval. He couldn't believe that it wasn't eight yet. He was so bored, and there was absolutely nothing on the t.v to help distract him. The larger boy reclined back into his couch, hearing it creak quietly as he opted to just turn off the television, staring at the dark screen and his reflection in it. The boy who looked back looked ugly to him, lazing like a pile of lard on a soft couch with messy hair and mediocre clothes. He frowned just softly, looking himself over thoughtfully and over his flaws before he rose to his feet. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he tried to push the thoughts out of his head.

Absently, he found himself wondering how the others were doing. It had been years since he'd actually talked to them. He didn't even eat at the table with them anymore, he left school early because his mom told the school he had "important things" to do at home. The school didn't argue with her. Of course he didn't actually have things to do, he just told his mom that he was sick of people at school and made up some story about bullying, and she agreed that he could leave school early to get out of that situation. When he stopped going for half the day, they had gradually drifted apart. At first, Cartman hadn't cared, but on days like these, he felt that he missed the teenagers. They hadn't been his friends, but they'd at least made his life interesting.

"Fuck, when is she coming home?" He growled out impatiently, walking into the kitchen and opening the cupboards to inspect their insides. He wasn't surprised by all of the canned foods and different boxed dinners. They had a plethora of them because it was cheaper than the latter. At first, Cartman hadn't cared, food was food… but after a while he was sick of tasting the same thing over and over again. After the first month, he'd found himself wondering if this was what Kenny felt like. He had almost snorted at the thought when he realized just how much he didn't care.

With another growl, he closed the cupboards again and wandered about the kitchen, glancing into their backyard. He slowed and looked at the grass in the yard, smiling as he remembered how trampled it used to be. Back when they were kids, Cartman invited the others over all the time to play stupid little games. Of course, Cartman was always a sore loser and almost always threw a tantrum when he lost, but by some miracle they always came over to play again, even though they did almost nothing but argue.

Cartman's chocolate eyes glazed over as he was hit with memories, practically watching their old selves gallivant around the yard and yell at one another. He could remember Kenny laughing at them while Cartman and Kyle bickered over some petty argument, and Stan desperately trying to break them up before Kyle got too pissed. He smiled slowly to himself, staring out into the yard as the little figures faded from his site. The trampled and dirty grass lengthened and swayed gently in the breeze outside, dotted with little bits of snow as things returned to normal. The clattered voices that he'd just heard resumed to the thickened silence of the empty house, and his smile slowly faded from his lips.

He let himself stare out across the yard, seeming to be caught in the middle of his own thoughts. He was between clinging onto the warm feeling that had graced him when he thought back to his childhood and coldly denying that he had felt anything at all. Frowning, he sighed to himself and turned away from the glass door and walked slowly back into the kitchen, sliding his fingers across the cool counter as he did. He was so bored…

Just when he thought that there'd be no hope, he heard the front door open. Cartman had nearly grinned, but he quickly caught himself. He tried to appear casual, but on the inside he was thrilled. His mother was home. He threw a quick glance up the wall to the clock, feeling even better when he noticed that she was home early. That hadn't happened in months.

Cartman felt the need to go out and see her, to round the corner and greet her, but as always he kept himself still. He glanced down at the counter and slid his hand off of it, keeping his face blank as his mother walked into the kitchen. She was wearing her uniform for a restaurant she worked for out of town. She was just taking off her apron when she spotted him. A small sweet smile graced her lips. Cartman looked away and pretended not to blush at seeing his mom so happy.

"Eric, you cleaned again today?" She asked, walking past him so that she could put away her things. Cartman stood where he was, still looking down as he tried to look normal. Inwardly he felt warm hearing how pleased his mother was. He didn't care that he was a mother's boy, it felt good to be around her when she was happy with him. However, his pride wouldn't let him admit that he was doing it for her. Instead he gave an odd grunt.

"You left the living room a mess last night. So I had to do something." He grumbled. He knew that he was full of shit, and that his mother must have known it too. The woman came over and wrapped her arms around him gently. Cartman's cheeks flushed. "Oh my sweet boy. Thank you." She cooed. Cartman shrugged his shoulders as if to shrug off her warm thanks, though on the inside he was relishing it. He almost felt a little disappointed when she let go of him and walked over to the fridge. She opened the door to inspect it.

"I already ate." He told her calmly. She looked up and smiled at the teenager. This wasn't a new occurrence, he told her this every night… and every night she seemed just as surprised and pleased as the last. Cartman looked away again.

"Such a good boy." She smiled, though she still continued to rummage. Cartman silently wondered why she was, since she would normally grab something small or simple from the cupboards and eat that. His question was quickly answered when he heard a man in the living room speak up.

"Leanne, it's alright. You just got off of work, you should really be sitting." Cartman looked up suddenly and over at his mother, shocked that someone else was home. In these moments after work, they always shared a moment together. It was never much, but Cartman looked forward to it every evening. He couldn't help but to feel confused and a little irritated that the ritual had been interrupted. He felt betrayed, but he didn't say anything as he watched his mother look up, blushing just faintly. Cartman's warm feeling had evaporated as he frowned deeply at her, resisting the urge to cross his arms.

"Oh Richard, I'm fine. You drove me home, the least I can do is make you something. I'm sure you're famished." She replied back sweetly. Cartman could hear the other man chuckle just softly in the other room. The teenager's frown turned into a scowl at that name.

"Richard?" He whispered quietly so only his mother could hear. He knew that man. He had never seen him, but by now he'd heard about him enough. Ever since his mother got her second job for the house, she called him whenever she had the time, or he called her. Her moments of free time were rare and far between, but it always happened. She'd even gone out with him once or twice. Cartman didn't like it at all, but he had tried to calm himself by saying that he still had the evenings after his mother's work to himself. Now, he felt betrayed.

His mother looked pleasantly at him. Her smile no longer made him feel the same. "Oh Eric, I'm sorry that I forgot to tell you. I would have called, but it was a bit hectic. He drove me home today." She said happily. Cartman felt his fingers twitch.

"What happened to your car?"

"I'm afraid Mommy got into a bit of a scrape dear, but I'm alright."

Cartman's eyes widened, shock leaving him silent for a second. "And you didn't tell me?!" He rose his voice. He didn't care that he could hear footsteps approaching from the living room. "Fuck Mom, what happened?" He snapped. His mother smiled gently at his concern.

"I only hit a tree. I guess I got so tired, I fell asleep at the wheel. It really isn't a big deal sweetie."

"Not a big deal? NOT A BIG DEAL?! Jesus Christ, take a day off if you can't make it! You could have died!"

"What's going on here, Leanne?"

Cartman whipped his head to the side, looking the tall figure up and down that was standing in the door frame to the living room. The man was tall and attractive for a male, a little younger than his mother was. He had dark brown hair and light colored eyes. He looked curiously from his mother to Cartman. The moment their eyes met, he glared darkly at him. Fuck this guy.

"I was just telling my little boy here about the accident." She said to Richard, giving him an apologetic smile. Cartman's eyes didn't move away from the tall male as he nodded, smiling a sudden knowing smile. Cartman hated it. He hated that he knew more about it than he did.

"Oh, that. Yes, your mother hit a tree going home. I saw it happen, and took her home." He explained. Cartman ground his teeth together.

"He also agreed to take me to work until my car gets fixed."

"Isn't that just great!" Cartman snapped. Normally, he would have calmed down enough to make sure his mother was alright, but he was too furious. His mother had been careless and could have damn near killed herself! And she just brushed it off, as if it was nothing. And to top it off, she hadn't even told him. She let some douche bag come home and ruin the only moment of the day he looked forward too. It pissed him off, and he felt rather betrayed by it. His mother looked stunned.

"Eric!"

"Fuck off." He spat, brushing past her angrily and ignoring her hand that had outstretched to try and touch his shoulder. He stormed past Richard, who gave him a strange look. He grabbed his coat and continued out of the front door, slamming it meaningfully behind him.

He couldn't believe this, it was just too much. He knew that he should calm down, that he shouldn't be taking it out on his mom, especially since she'd gotten into a car crash, but he wasn't really sure how else to react. He felt betrayed and angry, and those familiar feelings spurred him on as he stormed down the street, breathing heavily as he tried to calm himself to no avail.

Who the fuck did that guy think he was? He just swoops in these past couple months, steals all of his mother's free time, rescues her, and then takes her home. Then, he offers to take her to work for her? Who the hell did he think he was, some angel of fucking mercy?! His mother was sure acting like it! He wasn't sure which pissed him off worse.

Cartman was nearly to the end of his road when a single voice called out, causing him to slow a little.

"Cartman?"


	2. Chapter 2

Cartman slowed when he heard a voice call out his name, a little confused for a moment as to who it could be. He was so mad that it was hard to think straight, but he looked over and saw another teenager standing outside, giving him a stunned and confused look as well. Cartman came to a complete stop.

It was Kyle Brovfloski.

"Shit, dude. It really is you." Kyle said, looking him up and down. Cartman shoved his hand down into his pockets, glaring at the red haired boy. He couldn't remember the last time that they'd seen each other, but that didn't exactly make him happy to see him. He was in a foul mood, and the last thing he wanted to see was an old 'friend' that he used to swear was his enemy. He growled.

"What the Hell are you doing out, Jew? Shouldn't you have a curfew?" He snapped. Kyle blinked slightly, before he saw him let out an irritated sigh and roll his eyes.

"Well you certainly haven't changed at all." He said dryly, clearly unimpressed by Cartman. The larger male let out a snort.

"Neither have you." He responded curtly looking the male up and down as well. It was true, Kyle looked the same as he remembered him after middle school. He looked like he finally grew into himself more, but it left him looking thin. He was still pale, and his bright green eyes had the exact same fire they used to hold then. Cartman hated it. "You still didn't answer me."

"Answer what?"

"What the Hell are you doing outside, Jew?"

Kyle gave Cartman a bewildered look. "I'm going home Cartman. From Stan's?" He nodded next to him. Cartman blinked slightly, before looking at the dark blue house. He definitely recognized that as Stan's house. He looked behind Kyle to see his house, the familiar green paint making it a dead giveaway. Oh yeah, that was right, they lived on the same street still. Cartman gave a snort.

"I knew that." He bluffed.

"No you didn't Cartman."

"Did so."

"It was obvious on your face that you didn't, don't even try to lie to me."

Cartman looked away, not wanting to admit it that he'd forgotten. Honestly, he didn't know how the hell he had forgotten that the others lived on his same road. He supposed he just got so used to _not _seeing them, that they almost left his mind entirely. He hadn't walked with them home in ages, so it was strange remembering that they lived there. Hell, he didn't even ride the bus with them anymore. His mom dropped him off early before work.

There was a small silence between them as Cartman thought, but Kyle ended up breaking it.

"What about you?"

"What?"

"What are you doing out Cartman?"

"Being nosey again?" Cartman growled out at him, fixing him with another glare. Kyle looked a little irritated.

"You asked me first, that makes you nosey too Cartman."

"I asked because everyone knows that the Jews have a curfew. I don't have to answer to you."

"This isn't the holocaust fat ass!"

Cartman shrugged, glad that the conversation had changed. He kicked at the little rocks and pebbles on the side walk and crammed his hands further into his pockets awkwardly. Another silence enveloped between them, even more awkward than the last. He didn't like this. He wasn't used to this again. He'd gotten used to it when they were kids, but their freshman year in High school he stopped hanging out with them almost entirely. They were seniors now, and the four years had taken Cartman back to how he used to be back in kindergarten. Socially awkward.

Cartman glanced up to see Kyle staring at him, making him feel uncomfortable. He shifted strangely in his coat. He never liked it when anyone stared at him for too long, but it always made it worse when Kyle looked at him. It'd been like that ever since they were little. There was something strange in those green ever shifting eyes that unsettled him. They were too observant. "What are you looking at?" He snapped out defensively. He was satisfied to see Kyle look surprised, before he frowned and gave him a sharp look.

"Nothing." Came the Brovfloski's response. Cartman didn't buy it.

"Bullshit, you were staring."

Kyle scowled at him. "You were being… weird. I was just thinking about it is all." He answered heatedly. Things had always been like this between them. They always argued about everything and anything. They never got along, and the hatred he felt for the other warmed him on the inside. As strange as it was, the familiarity of bickering with Kyle felt good, and it helped to distract him from what had just happened at home.

"You know Kyle, if you want to day dream about me you can just take a picture, it lasts way longer." Cartman huffed, slinging a taunt at Kyle. He was satisfied to see that it seemed to get on the red head's nerve.

"Oh please." Kyle huffed. "You're the last thing I'd be day dreaming about."

"Bet I'm the first you fantasize about though, fag."

"Fuck off Cartman!" He was satisfied that he had obviously struck a nerve with the other. He wanted to continue to tease him, but he heard something from inside of Kyle's house, catching him off guard. Kyle seemed to hear it too, straightening a little to hear better. He looked pale for a second.

"I got to go." He said to him, turning to Cartman to wave good bye to him. The larger male frowned and crossed his arms, obviously displeased that this had to get cut short. It had been interesting to get to argue with him again. He tried to prolong it.

"What, you're fat bitch mom calling you?" He asked. He felt delighted to see the other's face darken a little, but felt disappointed that he shook his head, shaking away his anger and thus ignoring his comment. He frowned deeper.

He was expecting the other to turn away, ignore him, vanish into his house and disappear, but he was surprised when it didn't happen. Instead, the Brovfloski boy hesitated and threw a look back at Cartman. He was confused by the odd look on his face as he seemed to debate something other, teetering between one thought or the other. Cartman raised an eyebrow, wondering if by chance he'd get the retort back that he was hoping for.

"…Its been a while, Cartman." He said awkwardly, taking Cartman completely off guard. He stared awkwardly after him as Kyle looked away and vanished back inside of his house, a little dumbfounded by how short and meaningless the good bye was. He wasn't sure exactly what to do with it.

"…Same.." He said just as awkwardly after Kyle already closed the door, staring after him before turning and continuing down the street, feeling calmer as he reflected on the argument that he'd had with Kyle.


	3. Chapter 3

"So you'll never guess who I ran into yesterday."

Kyle was sitting with his friends around their usual lunch table. He was sitting beside Kenny and across from Stan, his lunch tray in front of him hardly touched. He would say that he was talking to the both of them, but he knew that it wasn't the truth. Kenny seemed way too preoccupied with talking to the girl beside him… which was okay. He liked to talk to Stan. They'd been friends since… well, forever.

"Who?" Stan looked up from his own tray, a piece of the weird chicken their school served on his fork and halfway to his mouth. He looked mildly interested in what his friend had to say, but at the same time he seemed to be focused on his lunch. The quarterback popped the food into his mouth and looked curiously at Kyle. He smiled.

"Cartman."

Kyle was staring at his best friend, expecting him to be as surprised as he had been. When walked from Stan's house last night, he had been extremely shocked to see their old friend walking down the sidewalk, staring straight ahead. He had almost been too shocked to say anything. They hadn't actually seen Cartman since freshman year, so it had come as quite a surprise to him. However, Stan seemed to feel the complete opposite. He speared another piece of chicken with the same mild look on his face.

"Cartman…" He said to himself, as though testing the name to himself. "I thought he stopped going to school. We haven't seen him since the first year here." Stan commented. "Not even at the bus stop."

"I know dude, that's why it surprised me." Kyle said. He was a little surprised by the unimpressed look on his face, but he was glad that he at least thought the same sort of things that he did when he saw the other. Kyle had nearly forgotten about him. Well, it was hard to actually forget Cartman since he was a… very unique, he'd say, individual. He'd been the biggest jack ass in school, and that was hard to just 'forget', but somehow it'd happened. At first it had been weird, but then they had all just moved on without him at their table. Out of sight, out of mind he supposed.

"I don't see why it matters, really." Stan shrugged, no longer looking up. Kyle watched his friend carefully as he spoke. "I mean, think about it. We weren't really ever his friends." Stan paused just long enough to eat another piece of food on his tray, thinking to himself as if he were placing his next words carefully. Kyle waited, though he wasn't sure how to take where his friend was going. "I think he stopped because he decided to quit pretending it too, and let's face it," Stan looked up at Kyle. "Things have gotten better since."

Kyle wasn't exactly sure how to take what his friend was telling him, but he respected his opinion. Stan was just being honest, but it struck him odd that he didn't seem at all attached to Cartman after they'd spent so much of their childhood with him. Sure, they weren't always on the best of terms, in fact, Kyle could hardly think of a time where he and the group had actually gotten along… but did that really make it okay just to completely forget him? Kyle hated him as much as the rest of them, but it had still been surprising to see him, even if the visit hadn't been pleasant. He thought that Stan and Kenny would be just as surprised as he was. He guessed he was wrong.

"Have they?" Was all that Kyle could think to respond with. Stan looked up, confused.

"Huh?"

"Have they really gotten that much better?" Kyle repeated, looking around the lunch room. Stan sat up in his chair and seemed to round his gaze around as well, looking thoughtful.

"…Think about it Kyle," Stan finally responded after a long pause. "You're less stressed, right? And Kenny's gotten confident since that fat ass stopped bringing him down. And I've been able to use the time we used to waste palling around with him to get my relationship in order. As far as this table goes, things have gotten better." He said, and Kyle looked at Stan steadily.

He was right. After freshman year, things had started out awkward. They seemed a little off balance without Cartman, but it hadn't taken long to get used to. At the time, Kyle had been the one to relish in it the most. He could still remember how good it felt to be out of the swing of being constantly ridiculed or judged by him. His grades had somehow managed to go up, and his teachers had been greatly impressed with his work. He felt a lot more comfortable without the other constantly lording over him, and Kenny seemed to have felt the same way. He seemed to brighten more, too. He ended up making a couple of new friends and got back into dating. His motivation and confidence had definitely been boosted. Kyle hadn't seen much of a change in Stan, but if he said that things had gotten better for him too, then he'd have to believe it. …But still. It didn't feel right just to write Cartman off like that, even if it was Cartman that they were talking about.

Stan seemed to read his mind as he waved it off. "I'm sure things have gotten better for him too."

Kyle nodded to this, though he didn't seem overly convinced of it. He wasn't entirely sure if that was true or not, since he hadn't really talked to Cartman. Then again, the other had never really seemed all that grateful to their company. He had always called it bothersome, so maybe him separating himself from them served to liberate him as well.

"Still though, don't things seem a little too easy now? Like there's no complications."

Stan gave his friend a dumb founded look, and Kyle sighed, pressing the palm of his hand to his cheek. He couldn't explain it, but it just didn't morally feel right. He knew that Cartman had been an ass to them for… forever, but did that really mean that doing this was okay? It didn't feel okay. Maybe it was just because he hadn't actually been around Cartman for a few years, but it felt kind of wrong. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like if Kenny and Stan just suddenly decided to forget him and never have any intentions of picking him back up again.

"I think you're over thinking this. It's just Cartman." Stan said encouragingly. When this didn't seem to help faze Kyle, he continued further. "I mean, since when have you cared, man? He made your life Hell."

"I know." Kyle acknowledged awkwardly. It wasn't easy to explain to Stan that he just didn't find it right. He knew that the other boy would tell him that it was okay because it was Cartman, which would be hard to denounce since the boy had made his life the most miserable out of the group. "…I guess it was just weird seeing him again."

~~:

Cartman sat himself heavily on the couch after he'd walked into the door after his school day. He looked at the television and snatched the remote, lounging back into his normal couch seat as he did every day when he walked into his house. His bag full of homework was next to the couch, neglected as he turned on the t.v. and proceeded to flip through the channels again- not that he actually expected to find anything interesting on.

This sort of thing had become a ritual to him. It looked rather pathetic to most people, but Cartman didn't care. He'd convinced himself that he was just fine with it. The only thing that actually bothered him was how bored he got, which unfortunately happened too fast for his tastes.

After a couple of hours of skimming through the different commercials and channels, he finally came to the terms that nothing was on, as he did every day, and turned the television off with a frown. He couldn't focus on it anyways, all could think about was last night.

It was still hard for Cartman to believe that his mother had come home so casually after having gotten into a car accident. He was worried about her, yes, but he was infuriated by her casual care free attitude with it. He wasn't sure how to handle it or the newly rising problem of Richard. All she kept talking about was him, and now that she'd started to bring him home it was concerning him even more. She'd seen many men before, but she had never once continued to go out and see just one. He was beginning to worry if he meant anything more to her… or maybe if he was going to start stealing all of her time instead of just some.

Cartman's fingers twitched on the remote for a moment as he thought it over, a feeling of horror coming over him. His mother had never been into dating people for lengthy periods of time, and she'd never once actually shot for a decent man… but this time she was. She called him almost all of the time, and she giggled and flirted with him incessantly. It was unlike her. He wasn't proud of his mother's sex life, but normally after she fucked a guy she dumped him, but this wasn't the case. Cartman couldn't help but to feel like his mother just might be serious about this guy… and if she was…

Slamming the remote down onto the cushion Cartman rose sharply from his seat and stormed into the kitchen, which was also part of his routine after coming home. He opened up the cupboards to the same canned and box foods, scanning over them even though he already knew everything there. His breathing was a little heavy and off, his fingers gripping the wood tighter as he fought the panic he was feeling.

He needed to distract himself, to stop thinking about it. His mother was just actually trying to have a relationship… that wasn't so bad, right? She could never replace him… and he knew his mother loved him. He was worrying over nothing, right? Who cared if she was a little… obsessive over him? Who cared? Cartman didn't… or at least that was what he was trying to tell himself.

Hastily, Cartman's brown eyes shifted over to the clock, frowning when he realized that it was only just now turning three o' clock. His mother wouldn't be back for another 7 hours yet at least… and he had nothing to do. Normally, he'd try to do the dishes or something for her so that she could have a break when she came home, but he was too mad with her still to think of doing anything at all. She had betrayed him by bringing Richard home last night… he didn't want to do anything for her right now.

Cartman was about to look back into the cupboards and pick something to make for himself when he heard a knocking sound. It caused the larger male to freeze for a moment, his hands still on the wooden doors to cupboards. His mind raced confusedly as he tried to rationalize who could be knocking. No one ever knocked anymore… unless it was a package or some weirdo coming to see his mother. But it couldn't be either of those options. They weren't expecting any packages the last time he checked and anyone who ever came to 'visit' his mother only ever came when it was late at night.

Another round of knocks echoed through the silent house, shattering the thick, dead silence that Cartman was used to. It made him nervous and unsure, but curiosity slowly dragged his feet through the kitchen and into the living room. His socked feet lightly brushed against the coarse carpet as he gently picked his way over to the door, his dark eyes locked onto the wooden frame as he came ever closer. His heart beat steadily against his rib cage as he thought through scenarios in his head. If this was some creep or someone who didn't belong, he was going to bash their heads and relock the door.

His warm sweaty hand caressed over the cool metal of the door knob as he reached his destination, his blood pounding in his ears as he stared intensely at the door in front of him. This was it, whoever behind this door was going to be in for it. Cartman hesitated just long enough to compose himself before he ripped open the door, his eyes falling upon his visitor.


	4. Chapter 4

"Kyle…?"

Cartman stood with widened eyes in the middle of his doorway, completely frozen to the spot. He could hardly believing what he was seeing. Kyle Brovfloski was standing right in front of him with the same startled and surprised look on his face, his green eyes staring back with shock.

Cartman knew he must look ridiculous after having ripped open the door like that, but he didn't realize it until he noticed the absurd look on the other boy's face. He instantly did his best to cover it up by crossing his arms tensely and eyeing the red head in front of him. He was thoroughly embarrassed, but like Hell he was going to let it show. He leaned casually against the door frame with a little scowl on his lips.

"What the Hell do you want, Kyle?" Cartman huffed, getting straight to the point. He looked him up and down. Now that the shock was fading, he felt very confused. Kyle had never just come over to his house before, even when they used to hang out. When they had bumped into each other yesterday it had all just been a random coincidence… so his mind couldn't rationalize what he was doing now at his house. It was beyond strange… it was weird and suspicious.

When Cartman spoke to him Kyle seemed to snap out of a daze. At first Kyle looked at Cartman with a confused expression, but it didn't take long for him to return the little scowl that the bigger boy was giving him and glare back at him challengingly.

"What the Hell do you think I'm doing here?" Kyle asked back tensely, raising his head a little taller to look at Cartman. The reaction threw him for a total loop.

When they used to hang out at kids, Cartman always knew just how to piss Kyle off and push his buttons. He loved milking any reaction he wanted out of him, but this was one he hadn't been expecting. He had expected him to fight back, since Kyle was always belligerent and feisty with him, but he hadn't been expecting him to be so confident about it.

Come to think of it, it wasn't just the way that he was holding himself right now, Kyle was different in a few different ways, too. The look in those summer green eyes looked combative rather than just hostile, and the clothes he was wearing were different from the attire that he used to choose for himself. Before Cartman stopped seeing him, Kyle had always worn baggy clothing and jackets. It was always hard to tell if his clothes actually fit him properly, and he had never taken off his jacket or his hat. Now, however, he wore clothes that were more suited to him. They were usual clothes, but Cartman had never seen him wear anything that casual before in his life. And where the hell was that stupid hat that he always wore? Cartman wasn't used to seeing his red curls..

All this change rattled the bigger boy, and he found himself taking an instinctive little step back as his brown eyes ran up and down Kyle's frame. When had he become so… different? His entire look seemed to change, even his stature! It was confusing and alarming… but most of all, Cartman found it a little intimidating.

"Cartman?"

Cartman hadn't realized that he'd remained so quiet until Kyle brought his focus back to the conversation at hand. He snapped his eyes back up to glare at Kyle's. He was no longer staring at him with challenge, but instead he looked a little confused. Cartman scowled and shot his gaze off to the side.

"What do you want you stupid Jew?" He asked in a lowered growl, cramming his hands back into his pockets. He wasn't used to this kind of confrontation anymore. It had been a few years since he'd been forced to talk to people from school, and he was having troubles at the moment.

There was an awkward pause that enveloped between the two boys at this, and when Cartman threw a hasty glance to get a good look at Kyle he could see that he was looking off into the yard with a strange look on his face. His lips were pulled tight and he could see that he had shoved his hands into his jean pockets. He found himself wondering why he was acting in such a nervous manner, and continued to watch him curiously.

"I wanted to come and see you."

It took a while for the red head to finally speak, but when he did he turned his bright green eyes back to stare intensely into Cartman's, holding his gaze with a firm determination. It caught Cartman by complete surprise, but what Kyle had to say was even more shocking to him. Kyle had wanted to come and see 'him'? That was just preposterous, and even more suspicious. All the change and the random confidence Cartman could come to terms with, but never in a million years would Kyle Brovfloski ever come over to his house to see him, not the Kyle that he had known. It was all he could manage not to recoil back from the comment.

"Who are you and what have you done with Kyle?" Cartman asked with a high amount of suspicious in his tone and face. At this Kyle seemed to look a little insulted, his anxious look turning into an irritated glare. Cartman failed to notice the light blush of humiliation on the red heads face in his shock.

"I **_am_** Kyle, lard ass!" Kyle quipped heatedly, sounding much more like his usual self. He threw a quick glance around him. "Are you going to let me in or am I going home?"

It was a good question, one that Cartman wasn't entirely sure on how to answer. Cartman hadn't had anyone over to his house in a long while.. but that didn't exactly mean that he was going to start it up anytime soon. Sure, he was bored and lonely, but that didn't mean that he _needed_ anyone's company, let alone Kyle's. It was strange seeing him, and he didn't feel comfortable with the thought of him coming into his house. However, something else was telling him to just let him in.

Cartman took the time to stare at Kyle as he mulled it over. He found delight in noticing that the longer he took to decide, the more humiliated, irritated, and impatient Kyle seemed to get. The other boy kept throwing him uneasy glances full of impatience, while he fiddled with his hands in his pockets, gritting his teeth behind his tight lips and waiting for an answer. Seeing him in this manner fed into Cartman's vindictive side, and he rather enjoyed it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to let him in after all.. maybe he could learn all these new buttons to 'confident Kyle'.. but first, he was going to milk out this reaction from Kyle as long as he could.

After a few more moments of awkward silence, Kyle finally seemed to have enough. With an irritated growl he glared back up at Cartman, talking through clenched teeth. "Have you made up your mind yet?!"

"Anxious are we?" Cartman raised an eye brow with a smirk. He watched the look on Kyle's face darken and he couldn't help but to grin. Oh this was going to be so much fun, it already was. The tables had turned back into his favor, and he couldn't wait to get this game started again.

Before Kyle could get too mad and back out of it he chuckled and stepped off to the side, welcoming Kyle inside. "It's fine Kyle, just come in already." Cartman invited. His sudden attitude change seemed to make Kyle nervous, and he tried not to grin maliciously when his summer eyes looked anxiously and suspiciously into his own. Cartman tried to smile sweetly as he waited for his prey to hesitantly walk into his house.

Cartman could hardly contain his excitement as he watched him slowly creep into his house. He let out a little shuddered breath as he closed the door behind him.

Let the games begin.

**I know that this one was a little short, and I'm sorry for that guys. x.x I know it also took me a little while, but I'll give you something really interesting next chapter if you'll stick with me :) **


	5. Chapter 5

_What in the world have I gotten myself into?_

Kyle sat awkwardly next to Cartman on his couch, trying to remain calm as he let his finger pick away at his jeans restlessly. He stared at the screen in front of him and watched the other flick through the channels. Every once in a while the other boy would stop on a channel to watch part of a show, but the moment a commercial would come on he'd just start flicking through them again, though this behavior wasn't what was making the Brovfloski boy so on edge.

Earlier today Kyle had convinced himself that he was going to come over to Cartman's house to see how he was doing. His conversation with Stan earlier had made him wonder if Cartman was doing as well as he had said. He highly doubted it, but he wanted to make sure since it still didn't sit right with him to just forget about him. At first he'd been uncertain about it. It _was_ Cartman that they were talking about after all, and the idea of going to his house completely alone is like sending a lamb to the slaughter… but still.

When Kyle had almost convinced himself that it wasn't worth the effort he'd be putting forward, something strange had crossed his mind. He'd thought back to yesterday and the sight that he'd witnessed. He'd been walking back to his house from Stan's when he noticed Cartman blundering down the street. He had been completely shocked to see him, of course, but he had been prepared to just ignore him and walk home when he noticed the look in his eyes. …It was a look he'd never seen before. However, before he'd been able to try and read the storm of emotions in that dark gaze the other had rushed past him furiously, almost like Kyle hadn't been there at all. He'd been so confused and startled by the strangeness of those actions that he'd found himself calling out to the other boy, which had been when he stopped.

The conversation had seemed normal enough when he tried insulting him, but something was still off. He'd tried to ignore it in their conversation and write it off as nothing, but Cartman had seemed to be a little uneasy. The look in his chocolate brown gaze had all but gone missing when they spoke, which seemed even more strange… and that weird behavior is what made Kyle decide that he had to come and see him. When he had witnessed that, how could he possibly believe his best friend when he said that Cartman was doing fine? Kyle didn't know exactly why Cartman was acting so strangely, but he had decided that he needed to get to the bottom of it before he just let go of him like everyone else did. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Now, however, Kyle was beginning to second guess himself again. The sly grin that Cartman gave him when he entered the house was all too familiar for Kyle's personal comfort, and the awkward way that they just sat on his couch was also making him nervous. Since he'd been let in, they hadn't said anything to one another, and this thick silence between them was only making Kyle more anxious. He bit his lip and played with his pants to try and calm himself down discretely, but his mind was racing a mile a minute.

Maybe he'd been wrong about all of this. Maybe he'd just imagined that Cartman was acting so strangely. It had been so long since he'd seen him, maybe Cartman just always used to be this way and he never really realized it before now. Stan could be right, maybe things were just fine for Cartman now and there was no real reason for him to have to come and 'check in' on him. Now that he thought about it, the notion was quite absurd. Kyle should never _have_ to come and check in on him, since when had the bigger boy's life been any of his business? It was possible that it was pointless for him to have ever come here… but that didn't exactly make his anxiety about the current situation go away.

As much as Kyle wished that this conclusion helped him, it only made him feel more awkward than he already felt. Now that he'd come the realization that he didn't have to be here, he felt trapped. There was no way that he could just get up and leave now, he didn't have a reason for it… and Cartman would probably find it odd that he had to suddenly leave when he'd only just said that he'd come to see him. He'd probably realize that he was leaving because of his nerves, and that would only make his situation even worse. He could just imagine the smug little grin Cartman would get when he realized what was going on, and he'd rather not give Cartman a toy to play with, especially when that toy's name was Kyle.

The Brovfloski boy threw a quick glance over to Cartman while he surfed through the channels, glad that he wasn't looking at him at the current moment. He tried to calm his nerves while he debated what he should do in his head, but instead he found himself wondering about the boy sitting next to him. He hadn't seen much of him recently, but looking at him now Kyle noticed that Cartman looked a lot different. He wondered if Cartman in freshman year had always had that firm jaw line… or if he'd noticed before how much muscle he had now. Sure, Cartman was still a little chubby, but he'd never noticed before now how much he'd grown into his weight from when they were kids. It was strange to think about… and it left Kyle wondering if maybe some other parts of him had changed as well, parts of him that weren't as easy to notice as the changes on the outside of his body.

"…So," Kyle decided to bravely start a conversation, turning his face away from Cartman so he could look at the television again. He watched all the different characters from commercials and shows fly by on the screen as he flicked through them. Kyle shifted his shoulders underneath his t-shirt and did his best to swallow his nerves. "…Why'd you drop out of school, Cartman? Its been a long while since any of us have seen you."

Kyle thought it to be a legitimate question, and it was one that he was actually curious about. He never did get to know the reason why Cartman suddenly stopped coming to school, and he was eager to know the answer… so when the other boy let out a snort of laughter at him Kyle couldn't help but to feel confused.

"I didn't 'drop out' of school, moron." Cartman's eyes slid to the side to look at him before returning to the screen, obviously amused by Kyle's thinking. The humor he was gaining from his question only served to frustrate and confuse Kyle more, and he found himself staring at Cartman intensely.

"Then how are you not in school? You had to have dropped out. No one is just absent for years."

"I haven't been absent."

Now Kyle was extremely confused. He hasn't been absent? How the Hell did that work? The last time Kyle had checked, he hadn't seen Cartman since the beginning of their freshman year, he'd dropped the few classes that they'd had together and stopped riding the bus. That obviously meant that he wasn't in school… and he hadn't seen him in tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade either. So he **had** to have dropped out, there was no way that Cartman could be serious right now. He was just about to call him out on it when Cartman let out a little chuckle.

"I didn't know you guys thought I dropped out of school- I just don't go for full days like you guys do."

Kyle blinked in surprise, staring at Cartman with a dumbfounded expression. He knew he must look silly, because when Cartman turned to look at him he cracked a wide grin.

"No, seriously. I only go for half-days. My classes are even a little shorter. When I'm done I get to walk home. Easy."

"Th-then why don't we see you on the bus?"

"I get a ride from my mom."

Kyle was still trying to wrap his mind around this, still extremely shocked. His head was spinning. All this time he'd just assumed that he'd dropped out of school, he hadn't realized that he was still going… that made it even more strange. Kyle didn't know how he hadn't managed to hear about him from someone. Cartman had always been the biggest ass hole in school, everyone hated him… so he was surprised someone didn't say something to let them know that he was still there. …Unless they just ignored Cartman in his classes.

"You can pick your jaw up from off of the floor now Kyle- and stop staring at me any time now."

Kyle could feel his face heat up as that was brought to his attention, turning his face sharply back to the television and gripping the front of his pants tighter. He hadn't meant to stare, he'd just been so… astonished by it all that he had been thinking. He knew his face must be red from the humiliation, but he tried to cover it up.

"I wasn't staring Fat ass." Kyle knew that it was a blatant lie, but he couldn't keep himself from saying it. It wasn't like he had been staring because he _wanted_ to look at Cartman, he had just been surprised was all. He supposed that he could have just said that to ward the other boy off, but by now it was a little too late for that. Cartman had already pounced upon him, which was only more humiliating.

"Yes you were, faggot. And just look at you blush." Kyle could feel his face redden even more at the way Cartman was picking on him. He glared off to the side as the other boy continued, feeling his embarrassment slowly turn into rage.

"You must have really liked what you'd seen then huh?"

"No, I didn't."

"Oh what, another lie Kyle? You had to have, your face is about the same ugly color as your hair!" Cartman was laughing at him now, no long paying any attention to the television in front of the couch. Kyle threw a rueful glare to the side as he could feel the blood in his veins begin to boil. He knew that it wouldn't do him any good to get mad, but he couldn't help it. He hadn't talked to Cartman in years, and he wasn't used to being ridiculed by the other anymore. Right now Cartman was trying his patience.

Kyle's eyes set onto Cartman viciously, narrowing. His face was still red from all the embarrassment, but his body felt hot only with his rage. _Keep talking fat ass.._

"I told you, didn't I?" Cartman was roaring on. "I'm the first you fantasize about fag, oh this is just too good." He could hardly breathe between his fits of laughter. Kyle watched him in eerie silence, feeling all of his rationality leave him as Cartman plucked away his nerves.

"Does your fat bitch mom know yet?"

That did it. That was the very last nerve he had.

There was no warning for Cartman, the moment that he mentioned his mother Kyle's patience snapped. All the red head could see was the other boy's chocolate brown eyes widen just slightly in surprise as Kyle leapt for him. Kyle didn't really care what he was reaching for, all he worried about was satisfying the anger that was boiling over inside of him. The Brovfloski's lithe hands grabbed onto Cartman's shirt as he threw himself at him, knocking the bigger boy down to the couch. Kyle's gaze was scalding.

"God damn it Cartman!" Kyle yelled out viciously. "You leave my mother out of this!"

At first, Cartman just laid beneath him with a startled look on his face. Kyle took a moment of pleasure in the shock that he saw beneath his deep brown gaze. If he had known before that taking Cartman off guard had been this easy, he would have just done it years ago! He let himself relish the feeling for a moment before he saw something else begin to stir in the bigger boy's eyes. Before he knew it, he could see a slow forming smirk spread across Cartman's lips. A sense of dread instantly came over Kyle as he realized the predicament he'd suddenly put himself in.

"Woah there Kyle, ease up on the reigns."

Cartman was teasing him again, smirking victoriously as he turned the tables back around again. Kyle's face flushed deeply. He hadn't even been thinking about what he was doing when he threw himself at Cartman, but now that he took the time to realize what he was doing he was very much so aware that he was on top of the other boy, straddling his stomach and grabbing him by the front of his shirt. Kyle's ears felt hot with embarrassment. This was even more humiliating.

"Oh please! Like I'd ever even CONSIDER doing anything with you!" Kyle responded quickly by getting up off of Cartman. This was just perfect, he'd told himself that getting angry over this wouldn't have solved anything, he was beginning to wish that he had listened. As fast as Kyle could, he jerked his body up and released Cartman, removing himself from him as swiftly as was possible. However, the moment he let go he felt the other's hand come up and grab him by the wrist. Kyle's attention snapped back to Cartman.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?!" He demanded, trying to wrench his hand from Cartman's grasp to no avail. The other boy kept staring at him with that mischievous grin, making him uneasy. Kyle could feel his pulse in his ears as he began to feel a little panicked.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself, I just want to prove that I'm right." Came his simple response. Kyle's glared hardened in his confusion as he stared directly into Cartman's eyes. There was something behind that gaze that he didn't like, and it was making his nerves run like crazy beneath his skin.

"Right about what?" He demanded, trying to hold on to any shreds of rage he may have left over. He shouldn't be feeling frightened by Cartman, that only ever fueled him. He should be feeling outraged. He was forcing him to the spot he was in, and that was wrong. He was crossing a boundary, and he should be livid instead of scared. He tried to convince himself of it, but there was something strange with the way that Cartman was looking at him that made it impossible.

Kyle locked his eyes with Cartman's as he tried desperately to figure out what Cartman was planning. He knew that smile all too well, and every time the bigger boy wore it something bad would always happen. Even though Kyle hadn't been around him for quite some time it didn't mean that he had changed.

A shiver crawled down Kyle's spine at the intense stare that Cartman returned, the palms of his hands tingling with a strange feeling. Normally Cartman looked malicious in situations like this, but instead, the other boy's expression was practically unreadable. He could hardly think of anything other than how those dark brown puddles were swallowing his gaze full. Kyle froze to the spot, unsure of how to react.

A soft and warm breath graced the side of his face, sliding towards his ear before he knew what was happening.

"…I want to prove that you really are a fag, Kyle."

Kyle could feel Cartman's soft lips brush against the shell of his ear, and his breath washing over his skin felt warm. Another shiver escaped Kyle, but this one left a lingering pleasant feeling beneath his skin. It made his nerves prickle and his heart race.

This was wrong, so very, very wrong. Cartman was crossing a large line, one that he didn't want him to cross. This wasn't funny, and the other boy was taking this too far. Instinctively Kyle tried to thrash away from him, jerking his muscles violently away only to have Cartman tighten his grip on him. His face was burning with embarrassment as he began to panic.

"Ah ah, don't be shy now Kyle." Cartman was teasing him again, pulling him down closer. Kyle began to kick his legs and try to pull back only to feel a very strong pair of arms wrap themselves around his back, crushing him back down and against the bigger boy's warm body. His own body stiffened rigidly for a minute as he registered just how much closer he was to him. Kyle's breathing began to come out in little gasps. This was bad, very bad and it was extremely humiliating to have to be on top of Cartman like this, and it was worse that he wasn't able to move away. The best he could do was look off to the wall, and try to calm his racing heart down. He shuddered.

"Wh-What the fuck Cartman! Let go of me!"

Kyle's voice did nothing to help him, it didn't matter how calm he tried to stay, his voice gave away his panic. He would try to glare at Cartman and stay mad, but he was too terrified to even look at him right now. He almost winced when he heard him chuckle and felt him tighten his arms around him. Kyle's body stiffened up even more.

"You need to learn your manners first Kyle." Came Cartman's response. Normally, Kyle would let this comment enrage him, especially when he was so desperate to stop feeding into Cartman's vindictive pleasure… but the tone that he used chilled Kyle to the bone. The red head jerked again.

" .GO!" He screeched, beginning to thrash and writhe even more viciously. He dug his nails into Cartman in one last attempt to free himself. His wish was granted as the other boy's arms lifted up off of him, allowing him to leave. Kyle took no time in wrenching himself away from him and bolting away from him, his breath coming out in struggled gasps as he stared at Cartman, wide eyed. The other boy was sitting up partially, looking at Kyle cautiously. The red head couldn't even notice that he had a hand over the part of his arm that he'd scraped with his nails.

Kyle couldn't get his heart to slow down, his mind was racing. What the fuck had that just been?! Of all the things that he had been expecting, THAT had not been one of them. It terrified him to know that he had just been sexually harassed by the other, and he wasn't sure how to deal with it. He had wanted to come over to make sure that he was alright, but now he just wanted to leave.

"Kyle, calm down. I was just teasing."

The red haired teen stared back at Cartman as he slowly tried to collect himself, eyeing the boy in front of him as he tried to register what it was he just said. When it finally clicked, he began to feel himself becoming more and more irritated. Teasing? He called _that_ teasing?! That was a hell of a lot more than teasing, it was crossing a very sensitive line that Kyle was NOT okay with.

"…If you thought that was funny Cartman than you're just as screwed up as you always were." Kyle seethed, getting up on shaky legs. His green eyes burned at Cartman angrily, but he also watched him carefully as he picked his way across the room. He didn't trust him. He could see Cartman's gaze follow him with every step he took. That was just too much. "It was a mistake coming back."

With that being said, Kyle turned and made a hasty retreat out the front door, planning on going home and shutting himself into his room until he could achieve some peace of mind. He slammed the door behind him meaningfully, but he swore that he could still feel Cartman's lingering gaze on his back.


	6. Chapter 6

"What do you mean you're going out _again?_"

Deep brown eyes burned straight at Ms. Cartman full of anger and betrayal. Cartman just couldn't believe this. This was the second week that she had been doing this to him straight. Every night she came home to tell him that she was going out with this 'Richard' guy. She spent every ounce of free time she had with this guy, and it had gotten to where Cartman never saw her anymore outside of these short few minutes. He was furiously angry.

They were sitting in the living room when the argument happened. Cartman had been happy that his mother had come home and had figured to try and get some time with her when she mentioned that she was going out again tonight. Now they were sitting on opposite sides of the living room, both tense and wounded.

"Poopsey, I-"

"Don't call me that!" He snapped at her, promptly cutting her off. His mother's gaze became apologetic and somewhat hurt, but Cartman didn't care in the least. She should feel sorry and hurt, how could she ruin this? How could she keep running to this pathetic man?! Who did he think he was? "Can't you just stay home?! You're always out now!"

His mother sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you're eighteen now, you don't need me to be home all the time now." She sounded very tired and worn. "You'll just have to get used to it, Eric. You'll see it's not so bad."

Those words stunned Cartman into complete silence, his eyes frozen on his mother while the words settled within him, feeling the bitter pain he'd been battling with cut deeper and choke out the anger. He didn't need her? Is that really what she thought? He didn't _need_ her? He'd get used to it? She couldn't be more wrong…

Cartman had always told himself that he didn't need anything, but that had never been the truth. When people hurt him or misunderstood him he always cut them loose and wrote them off as someone or something he didn't need. He thought he didn't need anyone growing up, but he'd never looped his mother in with that statement. How could he? She alone had been the only one to stick with him, been the only one who had never given up on him an understood him like no one else. When he hated the world, he hated everyone but his mother… even if she didn't always give him his way. …And now she was saying that he didn't need her? Did that mean that she thought she didn't need _him_?

Closing up rapidly, Cartman found himself staring completely null at his mother, struggling to find an inner piece with himself. Normally, when this happened, he'd just shrug it off as he was better off without them anyways… but this one was different. He didn't want to accept that the comment stung worse than anything he'd ever felt, but he if he tried to bury that burning feeling he'd be burying his attachment to his mother. He didn't know what to do or how to react, so he completely shut off.

"Eric?" His mother called to him, but it felt like he could hardly hear her or register what she was saying. He just rose to his feet, his body feeling heavier than usual as he pushed his body to walk up the stairs and enter his room, his surroundings feeling nonexistent. His mother called for him again, but he ignored her and pressed onward until he reached the sanctity of his room.

As soon as the door closed behind him he was greeted with the decorative posters that he'd hung around his room, most from when he was a child. In a chest to the side he still kept all of his old toys and the shelf had all the same books that he had since kindergarten. Cartman's eyes went over all of the objects slowly, his insides burning and his mind itching for a distraction and a sense of security.

Cartman wandered over to the chest, running his fingers over the top thoughtfully. It had been so long since he'd visited this chest and all of his old toys. They had used to be his closest friends, but he'd stopped playing with them when he was forced to come to the realization that they weren't _real_ friends, no matter how much he wanted them to be.

Opening up the chest he found an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia rush over him, a small little smile twitching onto his lips. Reaching in he began to pull them all out one by one, laying them on the floor in front of him. There was Polly Prissypants, Peter Panda, Rumple Toughskin, Muscle Man Mark and of course, Clyde Frog. They were all a little worse for wear, torn and sewn roughly from when he'd destroyed them, but his mother had pieced them back together for him.

Cartman reached down to Clyde Frog and held the animal up to his level. He wasn't as soft as he had been before after so many years, but it felt like he was revisiting an old friend who had helped him through thick and thin. He blinked very slowly, his hands trembling just slightly and his lips feeling dry. Clyde Frog had always helped him when he when he needed someone.

"Clyde." Cartman's voice was quiet and shook just slightly. He gripped the little stuffed animal tighter in his grasp and licked his lips anxiously. "…I know this sounds ridiculous, but… I don't know what to do. I know you're just a stuffed animal, but… I can't handle this…" Cartman paused for a moment, his mind beginning to turn while he spoke and reboot.

"…I don't know. I never thought I needed anyone Clyde, but what if my mom doesn't need me? What if no one needs me? What if…" Cartman hesitated again, remembering what happened with Kyle a week ago.

**_"You're just as screwed up as you always were. It was a mistake coming back."_**

"What if Kyle's right? What if I'm so screwed up, that no one wants me?" Cartman closed his mouth tightly, his throat feeling tight and his eyes now burning with the same grief that he'd been feeling. His face felt hot as he stared down at the ground, feeling vulnerable and sick. Very slowly he raised his gaze to look at the stuffed animal's worn face, holding his breath as he searched it's blank gaze.

Only silence greeted him. Cartman choked.

"…Not even you want anything to do with me anymore."

Defeated, the boy gently laid Clyde back down on the floor and rose to his feet, turning his face away from the blank stares of his old childhood toys. His hands clenched to his sides.

What had he been thinking? Toys couldn't talk back… he didn't know why he'd even tried. All that had gone on before had been in his head, he had always been the one there for himself. He couldn't rely on his old toys because they weren't real. He didn't have anyone to rely on, not even himself. He felt like he was breaking on the inside. Unable to be angry or blame anyone.

He didn't know what to do. He'd always been alone, but this had been the first time he ever truly _felt _ alone… and he didn't like it. He needed someone… anyone. They didn't even have to like him, he just needed someone to be there so he could say that he wasn't all by himself anymore.

Swallowing and wiping his recently dampened face, Cartman found himself reaching for the phone and dialing. It had been a week since he'd seen him, and he knew it wouldn't work but it was all he could think to do. Pulling the receiver to his ear he waited as he heard the phone ring on the other end. His anxiety built with each ring. A woman answered.

_"Hello?"_

It was Sheila Brovfloski.

Cartman gripped the phone with dread. Sheila had never liked Cartman, and he knew that Kyle had probably told her all about what had happened the other week. With her having answered the phone, there was absolutely no way that she was going to allow him to speak with Cartman. He started to shake again. What had he been thinking?

_"Hello?"_ She persisted again, this time sounding a little annoyed. Cartman was tempted to just hang up the phone, but if he did he wasn't sure what he should do after that. He tightened his hand around the phone.

"…I-Is Kyle there?" Cartman asked uncertainly. Maybe she wouldn't ask who was calling and just hand the phone to Kyle. Maybe he could do this.

_"Yes he is."_ Cartman lifted a little.

"Can I talk to him?"

_"Sure! Can I ask who's calling?"_

There it was, the line that he had been dreading. He was so close now, he had to make up something. He hadn't talked to Sheila in years, and by now their number had changed so she definitely had no idea that it was Cartman calling. He couldn't tell her it was him. He knew that she'd hang up.

"I-I'm Kyle's partner, in Science?" The lie spilled from his lips before he even knew what he was doing. "I wanted to see if he could come over sometime this week so we could work on it before it's due."

_"I wasn't aware that Kyle had any project!"_ Sheila sounded very surprised, and Cartman wondered if she knew that he was lying. He waited tensely, listening to the slight buzz of the phone as the silence became thick all around him. A few minutes passed and he found himself pulling back to look at the phone to make sure that she hadn't hung up. What was going on?

_"…Hello?"_

Cartman almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the new voice in the phone. He instantly threw the phone up to his ear. He never thought he'd be so happy to hear Kyle's voice.

"Kyle!"

Cartman must have surprised him, because it took him a while to manage a response back.

_"What the Hell do you want Cartman?"_

That was an excellent question, and Cartman wasn't entirely sure how to answer it. He didn't want to tell him how he was feeling and he didn't want to swallow his pride and ask the other over and apologize. He didn't know what he wanted. He just knew that he didn't want to be alone and calling Kyle had been the only thing that had made sense.

"Why'd you come to my house last week?" The question blurted past him without any thought.

_"….What?"_

Cartman swallowed and repeated himself. "Why'd you come to my house last week?" He wasn't sure why this question had been the one out of thousands of others to blurt out of his mouth, but he found that it was on that he did really want to know. He hadn't even realized that it'd been on his mind.

_"…Cartman I don't have time for this. I'm hanging up now."_

Panic surged through Cartman at those words. If Cartman were normal right now, he'd just let Kyle hang up. If Carmtan were acting more like himself, he'd just laugh or snap at Kyle until he felt better. If this were any other day or situation, Cartman wouldn't care… but this wasn't another day or situation. Cartman wasn't himself and he was anything but fine. The truth was that Cartman wasn't okay, and if Kyle hung up right now he'd feel like he'd lost everything.

"NO! I'm sorry!"

Cartman breathed heavily, his knuckles turning white from his death grip on the phone. The gentle buzz from the phone sounded deafening in his ear as he waited.

_"….What?"_ Kyle's voice was slow and quiet sounding. Cartman drew in a breath to steady himself. He never apologized, but right now he had to. His voice came out quieter.

"…I'm sorry Kyle. I didn't mean what happened the other week. ..It was wrong of me."

_"…If this is another one of your tricks Cartman, I swear-"_

"No, I'm not trying to play with you Kyle." Cartman looked down, his body beginning to feel numb and tired after all the extreme emotions he'd been feeling. "…I'm really sorry. …I was glad that you came over."

_"….Cartman, what's this all about?"_ Kyle didn't sound angry or suspicious anymore, he was beginning to sound a little worried and curious. Cartman closed his eyes. He was so tired suddenly. He felt like he'd worn himself out and he was finally beginning to feel a little calmer. He laid on his side on his bed, the receiver next to him.

_"…Cartman? Hey, are you still there? Cartman!"_

He couldn't hear him anymore as he found himself dragged into a light sleep, his fingers still touching the tip of the white phone.

**Thank you guys so much for reading~! I'm sorry that these take me so long, I rewrote this one twice already and I just moved so things have been crazy. It means so much to me that you guys are still reading 3 I'd also like to say that I'm looking for people who are willing to write a Kyman story with me if anyone's interested. Please message me if you are~ Thanks again you guys are great!**


End file.
